DISABLE OR ENABLE?

This wonderful, awe-inspiring talk by Aimee Mullins, an athlete/actor/model/activist, teaches us that the only true disability that can truly afflict us is one of the spirit. As she says, “adversity isn't an obstacle that we need to get around in order to resume living our life. It's part of our life.”

Aimee’s talk makes me feel ashamed of all the times in my life, when I have said ‘I can’t.’ I realize now that what I was really saying was, ‘I don’t want to try.’ But her larger message is even starker – for our words affect not just ourselves and our abilities but also others and their abilities. How many times have we told someone else that they are not capable/that they should not try to do something? How many times have we said this to our children?

Neurologist and psychiatrist, Victor Frankl survived the holocaust with his idealism & sense of humour intact. In the talk below, he too strives to teach us why we must allow ourselves to believe the best of others, encouraging them to truly believe in their better selves and live out this belief.



When we accept our influence on not just how we choose to live our lives but also on the choices and lives of the people around us, we have an important decision to make. Should we ‘disable’ or ‘enable’ ourselves and others?